KING Harold would have approved!

Dignitaries, local history fans and guests gathered together in Waltham Abbey to celebrate the unveiling of ten historical plaques in the grounds of the Abbey Church this morning.

The boards give information about the founding of the church in the 7th century through to its destruction by King Henry VIII in 1540.

The official unveiling was performed by the Lord Lieutenant of Essex, Lord Petre, who joked with Rev Canon Martin Webster about the fine weather, thanking him for "arranging it with the boss".

He described what the Abbey meant to him.

He said: "Recently I was asked to do one of those 20-question type articles for a magazine and I was asked what is my favourite building in Essex - which as you can imagine is a rather dangerous question for someone in my position, and i'm glad to say I chose the Abbey."

He added: "These boards are very much to be welcomed - they will increase the appreciation of locals and visitors alike for this wonderful site."

Rev Webster said he hoped the plaques would not only benefit visitors to the town.

He said: "The Abbey Church is absolutely delighted with the new signs, we've noticed already there has been great numbers of people stopping, reading and engaging with them, hopefully the people of the town will find them useful."

The project took two years and a £25,000 heritage lottery grant to come to fruition - with £7,000 spent on King Harold's Day.

It was the brainchild of King Harold Society chairman Elaine Fletcher who said she wanted to highlight the area's rich history.

"In 2006 I came across the National Lottery Heritage Fund, but to apply for the grant we had to come up with a lasting legacy for the community, we still needed more funding so we went into partnership with Waltham Abbey Town Council, Epping Forest District Council and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority among others."

The district council gave the society a £2,500 grant to help pay for the work.

The boards are said to be vandal-proof and angled down so they are easily readable by wheelchair users.